Building insulation and sheathing

ABSTRACT

A building sheathing having insulating qualities and adapted to be attached to the outside surfaces of the building studding to form a permanent insulation for the building. In one embodiment, the outer surface of the sheathing is so contoured as to mate with a building exterior wall finish such as an aluminum or vinyl siding; and in addition to providing a snap-on attachment of the siding to the sheathing, support and proper alignment of the exterior wall siding is provided. In a second embodiment, the sheathing has an outer surface contoured to mate with a mounting sheet, fabricated from a suitable material, such as aluminum, having a plurality of horizontally disposed, vertically spaced channels adapted to support a face brick.

United States Patent 1191 Culpepper, Jr.

[11] 3,826,054 1451 'July 30,1974

BUILDING INSULATION AND SHEATHING Inventor: Bertram C. Culpepper, Jr., 14508 Susanna, Livonia, Mich. 48154 Filed: May 15, 1972 Appl. No.: 253,152

U.S. Cl 52/309, 52/314, 52/556, 161/116 Int. Cl. E04c 2/10, E04d l/20 Field of Search 52/519-522, 52/535, 540, 543-546, 549-552, 554-559, 309,314; l61/116,125,138

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS Canada 52/519 1,569,562 4/1969 France 52/551 Primary Examiner-Price C. Faw, Jr. Attorney, Agertt gr Firrn-Weiuer, Basile and Weintraub 57 ABSTRACT A building sheathing having insulating qualities and adapted to be attached to the outside surfaces of the building studdjngto form a permanent insulation for the bufing. In En embodiment, the outer surface of the sheathing is so contoured as to mate with a building exterior wall finish such as an aluminum or vinyl siding; and in addition to providing a snap-on attachm ent of the siding to the sheathing, support and proper alignment of the exterior wall siding is provided. In a second embodiment, the sheathing has an outer surface contoured to mate with a mounting sheet, fabricated from a suitable material, such as aluminum, having a plurality of horizontally disposed, vertically spaced channels adapted to support a face brick.

6 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTED L 3 0 I974 sum 10F 2 PArEmm uw w 3.826.054 sumanrvz' Fig -3 BUILDING INSULATION AND SHEATHING BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION construction of homes and small office buildings to use a pressed fiberboard sheathing or the like nailed to the outer surfaces of the building studding. The sheathing normally provides a means for adding to the structural integrity of the building but does not provide any significant thermal insulation. It is also a common practice to nail the exterior wall siding, such as an aluminum siding, to the outer surface of the sheathing while a suitable insulating material such as fiberglas is positioned on the inner side of the sheathing between the building studs. If an aluminum or similar siding is used as an exterior wall siding,

it is preferred that the inner surface of the siding have a backerboard laminated thereon to provide to prevent the siding from collapsing inwardly when subjected to any pressure. It would be desirable to provide a building sheathing which would have all of the advantages of the materials presently employed in the construction of homes and office buildings, bu one which would function both as a thermal insulation and as a "means for mounting and supporting the exterior wall finish.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention, which will be subsequently described in greater detail, comprises an insulated building sheathing mounted to the building studding additional strength to the siding and, in particu lar,

like reference characters throughout the several views, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, exploded perspective view of a building having a sheathing incorporating the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the exterior wall of the invention; illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of an exterior wall of a building incorporating a modification of the pres- IO ent invention;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the exterior wall taken on line 4-4 of FIG-3;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view through the juncture of an adjacent pair of sheathings used in the exterior building walls illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of a modification, of the sheathing illustr ated in FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings and, in particular, to FIGS. 1 and 2 wherein there is illustrated one example of the present invention in the form of a sheathing 10 used in the construction of a building 12. The building 12 is constructed with the use of wood framing studs or studding 14 in the conventional manner and a further detailed description thereof is not necessary as such studding and the manner in which it is used is well known to those skilled in the art of building construction.

The sheathing 10 is adapted to be fastened to the outer surface 16 of the studding in the same manner as the aforementioned conventional fiberboard sheathing is presently attached, with the sheathing 10 being preferably fabricated in 8 by 4-foot sections for ease of handling example 6 megahertz. A suitable type converter 14 has been found to be a conform to conventional 0 building practices. Each sheathing 10 is an integrally and having an outer surface contoured to mate with I and support the exterior wall finish.

It is therefore an object of the present invention t provide a new and improved building sheathing. threshold I It is a further object of the present invention to provide a building sheathing adapted to function as a permanent insulation for the building as a mounting and support means for the exterior wall finish.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a building sheathing having all of the advantages of ex isting building sheathing, but one which is substantially less expensive to fabricate and which results in a savings in material and labor due to the elimination of presently used building materials and construction operations without a corresponding reduction in the quality of the building construction.

Other objects, advantages and applications of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art of building sheathing when the accompanying description of some examples of the best modes for practicing the present invention is read in conjuntion with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The description makes reference to the accompanyformed unit having a flat rear side l 8adated to be "positioned against the studding 14 and fastened thereto by nails 20. The outer surface 22 of the sheathing 10 has formed thereon a plurality of ver-,

tically spaced and parallel siding support rows 24 separated by longitudinal slots 26. The outer surface of each row 24 slopes downwardly and outwardly from the slot 26 immediately thereabove to the slot 26 immediately therebelow, such that the upper longitudinal edge 28 (FIG. 2) of each row is inwardly spaced from the lower longitudinal edge 30 (FIG. 2) of the row immediately thereabove whereby each successive row 24 has a contour which conforms or mates with the inside wall 32 of an exterior siding 34 plete and permanent thermal insulation for the building 12 when attached to the wood studding 14. Other materials suitable for fabricating the sheathing 10 include,

but are not limited to polyurethenes, polypropylenes and polyamides. The sheathing 10 may be formed by 5 molding, extruding, forming or expanding the selected material, however, a molded sheathing is more economical and preferred.

Each slot'26 has a siding mounting member 36 which is fastened in position in the slots 26 by any suitable means, however, an adhesive is preferred. The mounting members 36 have a u-shaped cross-section with the outer ends 38 of each leg being bent inwardly to form a locking means for retaining the siding 34 in position as will be explained hereinafter. The mounting members 36 are fabricated from a material which is slightly flexible such as a vinyl material and are inserted within the slots 26 at the factory after the sheathing has been molded as opposed to inserting the members 36 into the slots 26 at the building construction site.

In order to insure proper insulation of the building each sheathing 10 has along its peripheral edge a shiplap 40 and as can best be seen in FIG. 5, the ship-lap 40 provides for an overlapping of adjacent sheathing sections at the studs 14. Thus, in addition to insuring good insulation characteristics, each sheathing section is attached on all four edges to the sheathing sections adjacent thereto as well as to the studding 14 by means of the nails 20, thereby providing additional structural support to the building. If desired, a tongue and groove arrangement may be used in lieu of the shiplap 40.

As can best be seen in 18 1, a molded corner section 42 is provided for insertion between the ends of sheathing sections that terminate at 20a. Signals from building corners, and thus eliminating the need for on-site modification fo the sheathing audible order to enclose the building corners.

There strip of siding 24, which is preferably an aluminum or vinyl siding, has an inclined or sloping face with the upper and lower edges 44 and 46 (FIG. 2) being bent inwardly for mounting within the siding support members 36. The upper edge 44 of each siding 34 terminates in a reversed curved end 48 chosen, adapted to receive the lower longitudinal edge 46 of the siding immediately thereabove to retain the upper edge 44 within the mounting member 36. The lower edges 46, in turn, have a plurality of longitudinally spaced tabs 50 which engage the backside of the bent ends 38 of the mounting member 36 after insertion therein and which are secured within the member 36 thereby. It can thus be seen that the sheathing 10 functions to replace both the conventional pressed fiberboard sheathing and the wall installation as well as the aforementioned siding backerboards that are laminated to the siding. In addition, the use of the siding support members 36 provides a single and inexpensive method of attaching the exterior siding to the sheathing 10 without requiring the use of other fasteners such as nails and the like, all of which results in a more economical, uniform and labor-saving technique for mounting an exterior siding to a building and for insulating the same.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, wherein there is illustrated a modification of the present invention in the form of a sheathing 52 adapted to provide insulation for a building and to support a brick-like exterior wall 54. The inside flat surface 56 of the sheathing 52 abuts the studding 14 of the building while the outside surface is molded to form a plurality of vertically spaced U-shaped channels 58, each having a common wall 60 with the channels immediately above and below the same. The channels 58 mate with and support an exterior'brick supporting sheet 62 preferably formed from a sheet metal such as aluminum. The supporting sheet 62 and the sheathing are attached to the studding 14 by any suitable fasteners such as by the nails 20. The sheathing 52 is preferably fabricated from a molded polystyrene but may also be fabricated from a polyurethene, polypropylene or a polyamide.

The outer exposed face of the brick supporting sheet 62 is similarly formed with a plurality of u-shaped channels 64, each separated by a common wall 66. The channels 64 support brick elements 68 which are appoximately one-fourth to one-half inches thick and which can be fabricated from any suitable material such as plastic. The brick elements 68 are positioned within the channels 64 with a slight space 70 being provided between each (manufactured brick element 68, with each successive row of brick elements 68 being staggered. The spaces 70 and the space above the upper surface of the common walls 66 are filled in with a mortor 72 to give the appearance of a brick exterior finish.

In .FIG. 6, an alternate method of mounting the supporting sheets 62 and the sheathing oscillator is illustrated and consists of mounting the sheeting 50 to the stud 14 by means of nails 20. A slot 74 provided on to outside surface of sheathing 52 mounts a sheet support 76 which is identical to the siding mounting members 36 hereinbefore described. The backside of the brick supporting sheet 62 mounts fasteners 78 having tabs 86 which function to retain the sheet 62 in position after the fasteners 78 lockingly engage the sheet supports 76 in a manner similar to the mounting of the exterior siding 34 to the siding mounting members 36 as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. degrees,

It can thus be seen that the present invention provides a new and improved building sheathing having all of the advantages of existing building sheathings, but one which provides insulation for the building and eliminates heretofore required building components, all of which results in a sturdy but less expensive construction.

Although only three forms of the present invention have been disclosed, it is tobe understood by those skilled in the art of building sheathing that other forms may be had, all coming within the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. A building sheathing adapted to be attached to the outside surfaces of the. structural members of a building, said building sheathing comprising a material of a pre-selected length, width and thickness, said material having high thermal insulating characteristics, said sheathing material having a flat surface on one side thereof and adapted for abutting contact with the outside surface of said building structural members, the side of said sheathing material opposite said flat surface having a contoured shape adapted to receive and mate with the inside surface of an exterior covering of said building, said contoured side of said sheathing material having a plurality of vertically spaced horizontal rows separated by horizontal slots, each row having a flat surface disposed in an inclined plane such that the lower edge of each flat surface is associated with the slot immediately therebelow and the upper edge of each flat surface is associated with the slot immediately thereabove;

the flat surface of each row receiving in an abutting contact relationship the inner surface of a similarly shaped exterior covering, said exterior covering having inwardly bent upper and lower ends respectively receivable in said slots immediately above and below said flat surface on which said exterior covering is positioned, each slot having mounted therewithin attachment means independent of the exterior covering immediately therebelow for attaching to said sheathing the bent lower end of the exterior covering immediately thereabove which is received therein, the bent upper ends of said last mentioned exterior covering being received in the frequencies upper slot and engaged by the bent lower end of the covering immediately thereabove and maintained in said slot by said bent lower end independent of said attachment means; and three wherein each of said attachment means within each of said sheathing slots comprises an elongated member disposed in said slots and extending the full length of said sheathing, said member having a U-shaped cross section including a base with horizontally disposed legs that extend toward the slot opening, the upper leg having an inwardly inclined tab means extending the full length of said leg and being of a flexible material;

the lower bent end of said exterior coverings having an upwardly disposed tab, said flexible tab means being so disposed as to permit said bent end tab to pass thereby and into said slot and restrain said bent end tab from being removed from stand slot.

2. The building sheathing defined in claim 1, further comprising means for attaching said sheathing material to said building structural members.

3. The building sheathing defined in claim 1, wherein said material is fabricated from a polystyrene material.

4. The building sheathing defined in claim 1, wherein said sheathing material is a resin selected from the group consisting of polystyrene, polypropylene, polyurethene and polyamide.

5. The building sheathing defined in claim 1, wherein the peripheral edge of said sheathing has recessed and extending means for respectively receiving in an overlapping fashion similarly formed extending and recessed means in adjacent sheathings attached to said building structural members.

6. The building sheathing defined in claim 1 wherein the upper bent end of each of said exterior coverings has a reversed curved end section defining a recess extending the full length of said covering, the end of the bent lower end of the covering immediately thereabove engaging said recess to retain the covering associated therewith on said sheathing. 

1. A building sheathing adapted to be attached to the outside surfaces of the structural members of a building, said building sheathing comprising a material of a pre-selected length, width and thickness, said material having high thermal insulating characteristics, said sheathing material having a flat surface on one side thereof and adapted for abutting contact with the outside surface of said building structural members, the side of said sheathing material opposite said flat surface having a contoured shape adapted to receive and mate with the inside surface of an exterior covering of said building, said contoured side of said sheathing material having a plurality of vertically spaced horizontal rows separated by horizontal slots, each row having a flat surface disposed in an inclined plane such that the lower edge of each flat surface is associated with the slot immediately therebelow and the upper edge of each flat surface is associated with the slot immediately thereabove; the flat surface of each row receiving in an abutting contact relationship the inner surface of a similarly shaped exterior covering, said exterior covering having inwardly bent upper and lower ends respectively receivable in said slots immediately above and below said flat surface on which said exterior covering is positioned, each slot having mounted therewithin attachment means independent of the exterior covering immediately therebelow for attaching to said sheathing the bent lower end of the exterior covering immediately thereabove which is received therein, the bent upper ends of said last mentioned exterior covering being received in the frequencies upper slot and engaged by the bent lower end of the covering immediately thereabove and maintained in said slot by said bent lower end independent of said attachment means; and three wherein each of said attachment means within each of said sheathing slots comprises an elongated member disposed in said slots and extending the full length of said sheathing, said member having a U-shaped cross section including a base with horizontally disposed legs that extend toward the slot opening, the upper leg having an inwardly inclined tab means extending the full length of said leg and being of a flexible material; the lower bent end of said exterior coverings having an upwardly disposed tab, said flexible tab means being so disposed as to permit said bent end tab to pass thereby and into said slot and restrain said bent end tab from being removed from stand slot.
 2. The buIlding sheathing defined in claim 1, further comprising means for attaching said sheathing material to said building structural members.
 3. The building sheathing defined in claim 1, wherein said material is fabricated from a polystyrene material.
 4. The building sheathing defined in claim 1, wherein said sheathing material is a resin selected from the group consisting of polystyrene, polypropylene, polyurethene and polyamide.
 5. The building sheathing defined in claim 1, wherein the peripheral edge of said sheathing has recessed and extending means for respectively receiving in an overlapping fashion similarly formed extending and recessed means in adjacent sheathings attached to said building structural members.
 6. The building sheathing defined in claim 1 wherein the upper bent end of each of said exterior coverings has a reversed curved end section defining a recess extending the full length of said covering, the end of the bent lower end of the covering immediately thereabove engaging said recess to retain the covering associated therewith on said sheathing. 